Cooking

It’s a satisfying meal that warms you up on a chilly winter day. Soups are good for you and, best of all, they are easy to make. Now that winter is here, soup is the perfect way to warm up after coming in from the cold evening air.

Whether you choose soup or chili, these winter comfort foods can include whatever ingredients you like. I prefer to make my soups in large batches, leaving plenty for tasty leftovers. Everyone knows soups taste better the second day, anyway.

Years ago (if you can remember back that far) when you were a child, do you remember Grandma spending all day in the kitchen, cooking those scrumptious meals and desserts that only she could make the old-fashioned way?

When it comes to meal planning, I don’t always remember to include a vegetable and/or beans and some kind of greens, like a garden salad, spinach, broccoli…something in the green family, and occasionally a pasta or starch of some kind.

My wife can attest to this fact. On more than one occasion, I’ll tell her what fantastic entrée that I’m concocting and she’ll ask me, “What vegetable on you planning to serve with that?”

The major difference between pasta as served in Italy and pasta served elsewhere is that for an Italian, pasta is generally a first course, to be followed by a second course of some kind, such as meat, fish, vegetables or even a pizza.

For those of you who are just cooking for one or two, don’t just settle for a sandwich (peanut butter and jelly?) or a bowl of cereal every night. Try out some recipes and experiment with what works best for you.

I’ve been cooking for my wife and I for a while now, and I really don’t feel comfortable cooking for more than two to four people. My wife was used to cooking for the masses when our kids were growing up. With a little planning and some quick cooking, you can create healthy meals for you and your dining partner.

Soups, casseroles and roasted veggies are great wintertime dishes. So why do we tend to just relegate them to a small portion of our plate, especially when they’re so filling? Why not feature them as a main course instead of focusing on the usual proteins and carbos? Protein can be served up in other forms, whether incorporated in the soup or casserole, or just providing a variety of cheeses and toasted seeds or nuts.

What are shallots? Is the shallot an onion? Do not confuse shallots with green onions or scallions,as they are called in some areas. In Louisiana, gardeners tend to call both shallots and green onions, green onions. They are different plants. Apparently, early French settlers in Louisiana had to substitute green onions for shallots, hence the confusion.

Shallots and green onions are not the same thing and don’t look alike or taste alike!

Some years ago, a research firm polled about 1,000 adults asking what they did with fruitcake, a symbol of good luck for the New Year, as well as for weddings and other celebrations.

The result was fairly predictable: 38 percent said they gave it away, 28 percent actually ate it, 13 percent used it as a doorstop, 9 percent scattered it for the birds, 8 percent couldn’t remember and 4 percent threw it out!

An age-old winter custom is the drinking of wassail, which is drunk at Christmas time, New Years and the Twelfth Night. Wassail is a greeting, meaning, “Be in good health!”

Wassail is also associated with caroling. As the story goes, men would carry a large vessel, usually with handles, from house to house. They would sing, get the vessel filled again, and then go on to the next house. It was a sign of good luck to have them visit.